The X Men: Evolution Guide to Mary Sues
by theweirdperson
Summary: A simple guide on how to make sure your character is not a Mary Sue or Gary Stu. Please take note that I wrote this purely for my own amusement, and I am not in any way an expert on the matter.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men._

_Disclaimer--the Sequel: I am not an expert on Mary Sues (or, for that matter, writing), nor do I claim to be one. This list was written primarily for my own amusement._

Original characters have shown themselves to be rather popular for writers of X-Men: Evolution fanfiction. However, because said characters are the author's personal creation, and thus have a special 'bond' with their creator, it is tempting for authors to make their character exceedingly perfect, with an amazing array of powers. This guide lists some of the warning signs which are clues that your character may, in fact, be a Mary Sue.

You might need to rethink your character if:

A. They have the abilities of an existing canon character... but better.

Example: _Molly could shoot beams out of her eyes, like Cyclops, but she was in complete control of her powers, so she didn't need to wear glasses. She could also control the path of the beams, bending them to her will._

Adding an OC like this makes the character they are 'based' off of pretty much useless. After all, there's someone else with all of their powers and more!

This _might_ work, however, if you add greater repercussions for power usage. But that's a pretty big might, as the repercussions might lead to further angsting, which is one of the hallmarks of a Mary Sue.

B. They have the abilities of two or more existing characters.

Example: _George had super-speed, could shoot spikes out of his body, and was pyrokinetic to boot._

Pretty much the same issues as above.

C. They have way, way too many powers.

Example: _Marietta was pyrokinetic, cryokinetic, telepathic, clairvoyant, telekinetic, a shapeshifter, could create volatile balls of energy, could spontaneously sprout wings, could create tornadoes, absorb energy from other living creatures from afar, speak to animals, cause magical pots of tea to suddenly appear..._

This is an extreme version of the above sign. Seriously, can anyone have that many powers?

D. Their powers make them effectively invincible/omnipotent.

Example: _Keith had the ability to imitate the powers of any mutant in the vicinity. He also had an extreme healing factor-- mortal wounds would heal in mere seconds!_

...Need I say more?

E. They have unusual physical features for no apparent reason.

Example: _Zita was a telepath with large, expressive, purple eyes and a foxtail._

As far as I know, purple is not an eye color found in nature, nor is there any good reason for Zita to have the tail of a fox. She is a telepath. Foxes have nothing to do with her powers.

Now, if she were, say, like Rayne/Wolfsbane and could turn herself into a fox, the foxtail would be acceptable.

And perhaps she's wearing purple contact lenses as well.

F. They make canon characters act monstrously OOC.

Example: _"You're just saying that because you are jealous," Rhonda said cooly._

"_Oh yeah?" Kitty shouted. "Well you're a of a !" She stormed off._

"_Don't worry, Rhonda," Lance said comfortingly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Kitty's just a brat. Come on, sweetheart."_

First off, Kitty doesn't cuss. Secondly, Lance is in love with Kitty. Even if the relationship were broken off, I don't think Lance would refer to her as a 'brat' (unless they broke up on _really_ bad terms).

Making characters OOC for the purpose of your story is not a good idea, as it will tick people off, as well as causing the 'credibility' of your story to decrease dramatically.

Of course, if you have a legitimate reason for making the characters act that way (such as Mesmero messing with their heads) then that might be acceptable.

G. They make canon characters spontaneously fall in love with them.

Example: _Albert stepped into the Institute. "Wow, he's hot," Kitty murmured. _

"_Yeah, he's definitely superior to Scott," Jean agreed._

"_You said it," Rogue said._

If you're going to make other characters fall in love with your own, you should probably stick with just one or two. Otherwise, watching the females (or males, depending on your OC's gender) of the X-Men falling over themselves and getting into massive fights over your OC seems more exasperating than amusing. Unless one of your character's powers is the ability to cause others to automatically fall in love with them...

Furthermore, before breaking up relationships that have been established in canon (such as Jean and Scott), it would be best if you came up with a good reason for it.

H. Their past is angstier than Wolverine's.

Example: _William had been abandoned when he was 1 ½ years old to fend for himself on the rough streets of New York. He had managed to survive, living on his own, until he was seven, when he was taken in by the foster care system. He was given to foster parents who hated him, making him do all the housework and locking him in a closet whenever he wasn't doing any chores. They ended up selling him as an experimental subject to a secret laboratory doing illegal experimentation. He had been injected with various chemicals which had caused his mutant abilities to manifest much earlier than they would have otherwise, and he trashed the laboratory with his newfound telekinetic powers, killing all of the scientists and escaping just in time to celebrate his eighth birthday._

Now, I know that X-23 and Wolverine both have rather angsty pasts. However, since they are canon characters, they are allowed to be such. However, original characters with equally angsty (or more angsty) pasts will be met with much less acceptance.

Hopefully, this guide has been helpful to you in the quest to create non-Mary Sue (or Gary Stu) characters. Happy writing!


	2. Chapter 2

_Here's a second installment! I wasn't originally intending to write more, but what can I say? I was struck by inspiration._

_And thanks to all who reviewed/will review! Thanks to you, I now know that purple eyes really are possible (albeit rare) in real life. You learn something new every day! _

_--theweirdperson_

I. They are "fated" to do something.

Example: _Rhonda looked up at the stars, contemplating her destiny. A prophecy written two thousand years ago had spoken of her, and how she would be the only one who would be able to save the world from an enormous threat..._

If you're trying to make your character fit in with the X-men/Brotherhood/Acolytes/Whoever, trying to make them more important will not help your cause, and frankly, it sounds silly. The only canon character who came close to this was Rogue, but the golden rule of OCs is that canon characters will _always _meet with more acceptance than yours. Why? Because they come from the creators of the show, rather than a random fanfic author.

J. If they're evil, it's for a good (or at least sympathetic) reason, AND any heroes trying to stop them act like jerks while doing it.

Example: _Mordeo held the pendant in his hand. It was the key to saving his sister... but it would also depower all mutants. But it was mutants who had killed his sister, it had been those "heroes", the X-men, who had destroyed her. The only way to bring her back was to activate the Kryon gem of the amulet at noon on the summer solstice..._

_"Stop right there, loser," yelled Cyclops. Mordeo turned to face him. _

_"I'm doing this to save my sister," Mordeo said._

_"Oh, you mean that chick we eliminated?" scoffed Jean. "She's hardly worth saving."_

_"Arrrgah!" yelled Mordeo, transforming..._

I'll bet you thought that being a villain automatically exempted your OC from Mary Suedom. Wrong! Even a villain can be a Mary Sue.

While villains usually have a reason for doing what they do that the audience can sympathize with (such as the fact that Magneto has faced persecution in the past and wishes to spare mutants from the sufferings he endured), when the heroes start looking more like villains, it's likely that you've created a Villain Sue. Sure, the X-men might let off a snide remark or two while fighting, but if you've twisted them to the extent that the reader can't tell who's the villain and who's the hero, you have a problem.

However, simply being evil for sympathetic reasons is most certainly NOT a sign of being a Mary Sue-- it is a sign of a well rounded character. Just wanted to make that clear.

K. They expose the 'flaws' of a canon character whom the author personally dislikes.

Example: _"Wow, I never realized that Scott was such a jerk," mused Jean._

_"Yeah. I guess I was taken in by his guile," Rogue said softly. "Thanks, Micah."_

_"It's no problem. My soul-sight lets me know what people are really like, and I didn't want you to get burned," Micah said somberly._

Do canon characters have personality flaws? Yes.

However, most people with whom said character is closely acquainted with will already know about these flaws, and have learned to live with them. This ties in with J-- to pull it off, it would require you to warp the personality of a canon character to make them evil enough.

L. They aren't human. Or a mutant. They're secretly an elf/god/vampire/fill-in-the-blank.

Example: _Kiana brushed back a strand of golden-blond hair behind a pointed ear. She knew that she had to keep her origins secret-- if anyone knew that she was an elf-naiad hybrid, she might be hunted down and destroyed, just like her parents had been..._

As far as I know, there are no mythical species in the X-men: Evolution universe. Making your OC an elf/god/vampire/fill-in-the-blank just to make them 'cool' is definitely stretching it. If they're a half breed, it goes double (especially if they angst about being an outcast from both their parents' people).

This rule can be relaxed if you're writing a crossover, and the other universe you're writing in _does_ have elves and such.

K. They're older than Wolverine, Mystique or Apocolypse.

Example: _Haknat-panuut strode boldly toward the town of Bayville. Nowadays, he was calling himself Paul, because Haknat-panuut isn't nearly as common a name as it was 5000 years ago._

That has to be some killer mutation if it allows one to survive for millennia. But having that sort of mutation is a point against an OC if they don't wish to be categorized as a Mary Sue.

L. They're related to one or more canon characters (despite never being mentioned on the show)

Example: _Sheila ran towards Wanda, Pietro, Rogue, and Kurt. "Hey! I'm the lovechild of Mystique and Magneto, so that makes you all my siblings! Isn't that great!"_

Attatching your OC to a canon character whom you particularly like is rather unrealistic. If they really had another sibling/cousin/other, wouldn't they have been mentioned on the show?


End file.
